


Halcyon Days

by sanitysrebellion



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-11-09
Packaged: 2018-02-18 17:16:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2356259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanitysrebellion/pseuds/sanitysrebellion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everybody wants | To say that you have changed.<br/>Of course you've changed, you've changed, you've changed. | Your mind's been rearranged.</p>
<p>No one ever claimed that the military life was good for your mental health. If you survive long enough to be classed a 'veteran' after the Fall of Wall Maria, it's guaranteed you're no longer the person you used to be.</p>
<p>The graduates of the 101st Training Brigade were no exception.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Title and Summary subject to change.

> Drip, drip, drop, little April shower  
>  Beating a tune as you fall all around.

The 101st Training Brigade began with an unseasonable storm. The rain fell in sheets; the cold, heavy droplets thoroughly soaking a person through in a matter of seconds. Wind threw the water in nearly horizontal streams, reducing visibility and generally being a nuisance. Between the torrent of water and wind and the growing restlessness of the horses, the first day necessities were forced indoors.

Two of the mess-hall tables had been placed end to end several feet from the door, a line of waiting applicants stretching almost the length of the room. There several of the Brigade Instructors were gathered, taking names of those applying, the measurements of the soon-to-be cadets, and handing out uniforms. The tent that had been constructed for the preliminary medical examinations was still outside, no doubt now beginning to leak water in steady streams into its empty spaces. Instead a makeshift version had been hastily made at the end of the tables serving the recruitment line. Available tarps and canvases had been hung, sectioning off a portion of the mess-hall. The area was then split down the middle- left for boys, right for girls.

Children ages anywhere between twelve and fifteen milled about the rest of the room, small groups forming as they began talking. Some held up their jackets or belts as if to double check their sizing, others set their folded uniforms on tabletops trying not to drip on them. Those that had chosen to change into their uniforms were few in number. A gust of wind rattled the windows, bombarding it with a heavy spray of rain. Only a few of the would-be soldiers seemed bothered by the noises of the storm outside.

Amongst those still in line stood a girl, a lanky sort of look about her. The straight lines of her body giving her away as in the very bottom of the acceptable age range. Her dress was still steadily dripping puddles onto the floor. It might have been of nice quality but the saturation of water in the fabric made it hard to tell. Hair clung to her face and neck, the water doing little to darken the pale and fair strands as it formed tiny rivers down her skin. Red colored her cheeks and neck, leaving the occasional onlooker to wonder if she was embarrassed by her wet clothing. A closer look would reveal light freckles forming, one or two at a time, the coloring caused by the sun.

Half a step behind her was a man, perhaps ten years older, with the same brown eyes and fair hair; his cut short and close. He was tanner than his relative, seemingly not as prone to sunburn as the little girl. He was dressed for travel, wet fabric clinging to his muscular arms. A day’s worth of stubble had grown on his face though the dim lighting made it difficult to see. He didn’t seem old enough to be the girl’s father, perhaps an older brother, though it was unusual for recruits to be accompanied by family members to enlistment.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the man spoke low, not wanting to be overheard. 

The girl hesitated, shuffling forward as the line moved. It was taking so long to get to the tables where they were taking names that she was starting to second-guess her motives. As she lifted her head she caught sight of a figure farther up the line. Color that had nothing to do with the sun rose in her cheeks. “Yes,” she replied, hoping she sounded as certain as she wanted to.

Her older brother didn’t look pleased with her response. “Darien finished his training a few years ago. He wrote home, you heard what it was like.”

At her side her hands squeezed shut, relaxing again a moment later. Her lips pressed in a thin line as she chewed on the bottom one, the coppery taste of blood eventually halting the action. She did remember. She remembered well.

“It’s not to late,” he pointed out, looking back over his shoulder to one of the windows. “The rain will let up, then-”

“Cedric,” whatever the girl had been going to say was cut off as one of the Instructors shouted ‘Next!’. At some point during the conversation the line between her and the tables had cleared. 

The man looked irritated, as if he had called out several times and went unheard. His eyebrows knitted together and hard lines forming on his face, exaggerating the ones worn there by age. The girl hurried forward, trying to look confident, and clasped her hands behind her back as she stood in front of the uniformed man. She was certain if he frowned anymore his face would remain stuck that way. Maybe it already was.

“State your name.” Nothing about his clipped sentence hid the irritation she had seen earlier.

“Selene Lancaster.” Good, her voice hadn’t shook. Selene straightened her back and hid a smile, feeling some of her carefully constructed confidence turn from farce to reality.

The man paused. “Lancaster?” he repeated, looking up from the half-scribbled name to the little girl and her unhappy brother still behind her. “The family that breeds the horses?”

“Yes,” Cedric answered, doing little to hide the bite in his voice. His hands had been shoved into his pockets, his glower turned to the floor as if it had personally offended him. What was he supposed to tell mother?

“I didn’t realize you were enlisting.” the soldier- Evans, according to the name tag- commented. Cedric muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘neither did I’ as his little sister’s name was penned in its entirety. “Move along, next station. The closed off area for your medical evaluation.”

Her brother had been told to leave the line after that. He wasn’t allowed to follow her any farther along in the enlistment process. He might have been chastised for following her in the line but Selene hadn’t been listening. The canvased area seemed to loom in front of Selene, a brief flash of light throwing dramatic shadows across them, the lamplight seeming to flare then drop dramatically. These were the judges that would decide her fate.

It wouldn’t be so bad, she thought absently as she approached the area and nearly collided with an exceptionally tall boy waiting steps ahead of her. To return home with Cedric, pretend she’d never attempted to join the military. She liked horses, after all.

Eyes the color of the summer sky surfaced in her mind. No, she couldn’t just chicken out and leave now. There were things to accomplish here and running away proved nothing. Selene set her shoulders, taking ahold of the canvas with newfound determination and throwing it open. The exceptionally tall boy must have thought she was being overly dramatic because as Selene passed she caught sight of his face from the corner of her eye.

Inside the makeshift room waited a woman- a member of the medical staff or even the local doctor’s daughter, Selene reasoned. She seemed nice enough despite her stern appearance and tendency to look over the rim of her glasses and down at people. Though her name was never offered and Selene hadn’t thought to ask.

The exam itself was simple and standard. Selene’s height and weight were noted, along with several other measurements to ensure her uniform and leathers would fit properly.

“Now it’s recommended that once you receive them you should put on the leather straps as soon as possible.” the medic explained, watching the fair haired girl intently as she preformed a series of simple exercises. “If it’s new leather it will need to be worked and softened, and even if it’s not your body will need to be used to the restriction. A proper fit is tight enough to feel but not enough to cause pain. It will take time to get right and the leathers will leave marks.”

Selene nodded her head, water dripping from her hair and off her nose. The nurse frowned and gestured for the girl to stop in her exercises. They hadn’t been difficult but the wet dress had been hindering and in the back of her mind Selene had been afraid of slipping in the puddle it created and smashing her head on the floor.

“Do you always turn so red when you exert yourself?”

“It’s sunburn.” the Lancaster girl responded, fighting the urge to run a hand across her cheeks.

That hadn’t seemed to be an expectable answer either, as the medic woman’s frown deepened. “You’ll be out in the sun quite a lot. Aloe is very limited and won;t always be available for treatment. If it gets too severe-”

“It’s just red.” Selene admitted hurriedly. “I help with the horses back home so I’m in the sun. It’s never made me sick but I don’t seem to turn anything but red.” Both of her bothers eventually tanned under the sunlight. It was decidedly unfair that she didn’t seem to.

The older woman hummed and adjusted her glasses before scribbling several lines on her notes regarding the girl in front of her. “Very well, I’ll make a note of it. Now, a more extensive testing on your physical abilities tomorrow. Everything seems to be in order, except for one last thing. Do you have any allergies we should be aware of? Dietary restrictions?”

“Allergies?” Selene repeated, eyes widening slightly. “Dietary...Is that a problem?”

“Of course. As harsh as it sounds the military doesn’t have the budget to cater specialized meals for every soldier. We are provided very specific rations with very little room for variation. Food based allergies also have the tendency to be very severe and life threatening. Over all it’s just not worth the risk to enlist such a soldier.”

The girl swallowed thickly. Refused, just like that? The thought had never occurred to her before now. “No,” the words tumbled from her moth so quickly Selene almost hadn’t realized she’d said them. “No, I don’t have anything like that.”

A few more scribbles to the notes and Selene was sent on her way to collect her uniform. The paper containing her measurements clutched tightly between her fingers, silent words of prayer to whatever god still listened that her knees weren’t shaking. Even as the tarp closed behind her Selene didn’t look back.

The last table contained a number of boxes, all labeled, and a multitude of boots all lined up in neat little pairs. Even in the dim light of the lanterns they managed to shine. She handed the paper containing her measurements to the uniformed man wordlessly. He never looked at her, choosing instead to study the paper presented to him. The man nodded to himself on several occasions, muttering to himself in a voice too low for Selene to hear as he searched the boxes. In a matter of moments neatly folded squares and leather straps were thrust into her hands, the pair of boots dropped on top in an almost haphazard manner. She nearly dropped everything trying to keep them from falling.

The boots were stiff and heavier than she’d thought, standing upright without any help or support. The shiny brown leather reflected her face back at her but Selene doubted their comfort. The jacket was equally stiff under her fingers. Starched for the first and last time, she assumed. The fabric rough but not entirely unpleasant. The pants were folded into a perfectly white square, leathers for the Maneuver Gear laying in crisp lines a top the clothing.

Selene was ushered away from the table to make room for more of her fellow recruits to gather their uniform. She stood off to the side for a long moment, simply staring down at the pile of clothing now in her hands. Slowly a smile began to spread across her face. No doubt she looked dopey, standing alone and grinning at the uniform, but nothing could distract her from the excitement bubbling in her chest.

She’d done it. She was in.


	2. First Steps

> Heart don’t fail me now, courage don’t desert me.  
>  Don’t turn back now that we’re here.

Cedric caught her eye the moment Selene left the recruitment line completely. He had positioned himself along the far wall, almost in the shadows cast by the poor lighting that lingered in the corners of the room. She had the sneaking suspicion that he had done it to make himself appear more intimidating. Selene watched apprehensively as her brother lifted a hand and gestured her over with a twitch of his fingers.

The girl gulped, fighting the urge to duck her head and hide behind her military issued boots. Cedric’s eyes narrowed as she hesitated, the corners of his mouth dropping. Selene knew what that expression meant. She could come to him or he would go to her, but there was no avoiding the impending conversation. Selene sighed, shifting the pile of cloth and leather in her arms as she made her way across the room to her frowning brother.

“So,” Cedric began, eyeing her uniform as he spoke. “You made it in.”

“I did.” Selene nodded. “There weren’t any problems.”

The man was quiet for a moment, rubbing his fingers along his chin. “Even though you’re-”

“Yes,” she answered, putting a little more force behind the word than she had intended to. Selene stopped, chewing at her bottom lip and watching the expression change on her brother’s face. Her response had been too quick, too insistent. 

“Selene,” Her brother said her name slowly, voice laced with suspicion and that specific tone that was supposed to be reserved for parents. The one that told her she was in trouble, but the amount and severity had yet to be decided. “What did you do?”

“There weren’t any problems.” Selene repeated, straightening up as she spoke. As small as she was compared to her oldest brother it did little in the way of intimidation, but it made her feel more assertive nonetheless. She tilted her chin up to meet Cedric’s narrowed gaze. She wouldn’t back down, not after all this. Not with the uniform already in her hands.

“If you do this and you don’t pass the physical examination tomorrow I won’t be here to take you back home.”

It was a warning- a threat- Selene knew this. If you fail, you’ll have to make it back alone. Cedric was saying that if she backed out or couldn’t make the cut he wouldn’t be around to pick her back up when she failed. He couldn’t; he needed to get back to the farm. There was no time to entertain his sister’s flights of fancy when they involved joining the military.

The Lancaster girl was quiet as she stared up at her brother’s face. Worry was lurking behind his dark eyes and the lines between his eyebrows were prominent from all his frowning. There was a long moment in which she gathered the courage to say what could very well be her last words to her brother. “I won’t fail.”

Cedric said nothing else. He lingered for a second longer, shoulders tensing as if he wanted to reach out to her, then pushed himself away from the wall. He stepped past her in a single, long, stride. Selene wasn’t even sure he gave her a last glance; she hadn’t been able to look herself. From somewhere behind her she heard the door open- the sound of rain growing instantly louder- then it shut and her brother was gone.

Selene was left alone with the very real revelation that she knew next to no one in the room. With her brother gone there was a single familiar face in the crowd. The blue-eyed boy with the easy smile. Now wouldn’t be a bad time to talk to him, Selene thought to herself. He hadn’t seemed to have noticed her among the scattered recruits just yet. She could go up and-

The thought never had the chance to form completely in her mind; Selene becoming distracted by the sight in front of her. The boy was thin, with long limbs giving him the appearance of being more arms and legs than boy. Still, he wasn’t very tall. Only about a head taller than herself, if Selene had to guess. His hair stuck up in fluffy yellow wisps like a dandelion and he was tan, as if a majority of his days had been spent in the sun. One of the lucky ones that turned a nice color instead of an embarrassing red like she did. Selene was reminded of a baby deer- all wobbly limbs and petite stature. 

However, the thing that was distracting about the boy was not his fawn-like appearance but rather the small potted plant he was balancing precariously between his uniform boots in his arms. It was a flowering plant, one Selene didn’t recognize, surrounded by clovers. The petals were small and delicate, the color somewhere between blue and purple, turning yellow at the center.

_What an odd thing to bring_ , Selene mused. It seemed almost impossible that such delicate looking flowers would do well in the barracks and it wasn’t as if he could bring the plant along with him. Could he?

Somewhere between Selene’s confusion and deciding that perhaps the flowers were some sort of physical metaphor, the boy stumbled and the little pot threatened to escape from it’s precarious perch and crash to the floor.

“Ah.” Selene stepped forward to make a grab for the flower pot only to stop short. Her own hands were just as full as the blonde’s. Thankfully, the boy managed to right himself before anything crashed to the floor. He looked over, catching the Lancaster girl’s eye and smiling. It was an awkward gesture, as if he wasn’t quite used to making it. The corners of his mouth twitched and he broke eye contact a moment later, moving towards an empty table at a quicker pace.

Yes, Selene thought, he was most certainly some sort of baby deer miraculously clad in human form. He wouldn’t be too hard to befriend it seemed, assuming she didn’t make any loud noises. Surely it would be better to go into training with a friend. Several friends, preferably, but as it was Selene hoped to not eat dinner alone. Gathering her uniform tighter in her arms she hurried after the retreating blonde.

“Wait!” The boy visibly jolted, nearly dropping everything in his arms again, and Selene cursed herself. She had just told herself not to make any loud noises around the deer-boy. “Sorry, sorry.” Selene apologized hurriedly, trotting up beside him. “I wanted to ask you about your flowers.”

He hesitated, looking between the flowers still carefully balanced between the uniform boots and the fair haired girl. He still seemed reluctant so Selene smiled, hoping to appear more friendly. The blonde relaxed, the tension that had been holding his shoulders stiff since she had startled him left.

“A-alright,” there was a slight stutter when he finally spoke, though his voice wasn’t as quiet as she would have thought it to be. “I’d..like that.”


End file.
